I love Anselm. Merry Anselm. 🙂 Anselm is sleek, debonair and charming. And what a great history he’s got. Read up on Anselm of Canterbury, I won’t bore you here. Suffice to say, he was one of the few dissenters of the Crusades! It takes a strong soul to stand up and disagree (Photoquilty, I’m thinking of you as I write this!) and I admire them, one & all. For a long time it was death to oppose the masses, and those few that dared then, have my utmost regard. Wow!

Anyway, Back to Anselm. I’ve gone into the “family patron saint” thing before and it’s funny that we do this, like my Mother & Grandmother before me, only neither of us are Catholics, where they were (go back to the great, great, greats and you find the Jews in the family)! Anselm charms me to my toes. Not like Rufus, Remy, Bruno or Cosmo do, no, but close.

He’s nearly impossible to pair though. I’ve been working on pairing him for two days and nothing has jumped out at me yet. Now, I know he’s kind of odd to a lot of people but I don’t think he should be. I mean, he’s one letter off of Ansel, and everyone seems to know that one, why is Anselm unusable yet Ansel is?

And that’s all I’ve got so far. Anyone have anything else that might mesh with Anselm? I mean, I’ll be spending time tonight thinking of more but I’d love to see what you brilliant folks come up with for me! 😛

What do you think, so far? Is Anselm going to get weird reactions from people or is he really no weirder than Byron (which is what I think)? I think Anselm’s pretty spiffy, actually. And I warn you now, expect to see more of him in the near future!

Reinspired by Verity’s cousin, Bruno has resurfaced on my lists. I had discussed him more in depth earlier: Bruno Revisited.

And confessed my favorite combo was Bruno Henry Valentin. Well, I still like it but am rethinking the combo. I have a dozen or more combos that I’m polling today. But here are the ones that appeal to us most:

I really like his warm, fuzzy feel. And do think he fits in the family. Not only is he a related family surname ( My Stepmom), but he gives off a “big” vibe. My boys are 6’2″ and 6’1 respectively and probably weigh between 175 and 200. (probably: I haven’t weighed them myself since they were 12 and haven’t accompanied them to the doctors since they were 19). So yes, Bruno fits. He’d even fit when little, Bruno feels solid, doesn’t he? All my kids are solid. The sort that knock you down at 2 if you’re not braced when they run at you for a hug. Josie knocked me over twice before I remembered that little gem! The boys used to do it all the time, and that was a bit worse, because they’d hit me together for a hug. Double whammy! 😀

I know there’s folks out there who just don’t like Bruno but I like that, actually. Means a lot of people won’t be using him! I just checked his rankings, and found Bruno’s charted between 900 & 700 since 2000. Before that, he bounced on & off the charts between 1968 and 1999, but mostly off. Prior to 1968, the only year he wasn’t on was 1883! So I’m more than comfortable with Bruno.

So, anything there that strikes you right or jumps out at you? We each have a favorite or two up there but wonder which one others might like? As always, Thanks! 😀

I thought I’d talk a bit about those names that you always see in my middle spots and why they’re there. It seems as if the same ones show up again & again and that can be tedious to see over & over again. At least, that was the thinking at the beginning of this post, I have no idea where this is going yet. Now, onto those names!

The guys:
Edward/Edgar – I have two Uncles named Ed-, One married into the family (Edgar), one was born into the family (Edward). I liked Edgar better than Edward, as far as Uncles go but like both names pretty much equally.

William/Willem – William is the family name, I have had several cousins with this name. Willem is my “MIL’s” Pop’s name, I found out recently. Never thought to ask her parents names before this past summer. Duh. 😀

Arthur – One of my favorite Great Uncles on Pop’s side. The sweetest guy on earth (next to my other half, that is).

Barnaby – He’s in the middle because we both like him very much. We allow ourselves one name that doesn’t honor. I’ve got him in a combo up front too. Which seems apt since we both do like him enough to do so.

Balthazar – Great Grandpa on Mom’s side. Father of my Babci and her 12 brothers (and one sister who died at 2). Mighty awesome dude with some really great stories. I like it enough to use up front but he’s wary of Getty. So in the middle he goes.

Henry – His Grandpop. I like Henry but not enough to use him up front. So in the middle he goes, again.

John/James – One of the other half’s middle names. James is the other. He’s not fond of his name but like James & John. That’s why they’re on this list.

Valentin – My personal favorite of The maternal Great Uncles. Balthazar’s boys. And he backhandedly seems to honor my Pop too, Valentine’s Day was his birthday and I’ve been thinking it’s a grand way to honor my Pop who hated his given name.

The gals:

Lucy – This is what my Mom wanted to name me, or Alice. She called me Lucy about 80% of the time anyway. I like the way I feel when I say Lucy. As Lucy though, I think she’s too short to stand well next to big sister Josephine.

Lily/Lilias – Lilian was Grandma. She went by Lily to one & all and called me Lily too. Lilias is just the Scots version that goes better with my surname. I dislike the intense popularity of lil- so they go in the middle, where I can enjoy them but not share them often.

Alice – She goes into the same category as Lucy. Even though she didn’t call me Alice very often, it still feels familiar and most definitely reminds me of Mom.

Elinor – I like her but not enough to actually use it in front. She honors a cousin of his that even I knew as a kid. She died very young and I still miss her. It’d be morbid up front too, for me.

Frances – Was Mom’s name. She forbade me usage on a girl but She’s been gone so long (she died the same year the boys were born, but earlier in the year), I don’t think she’d begrudge me honoring in the middle, I hope.

Ruby – is a roundabout way of honoring me! It’s my birthstone. I love rubies too, more rare than diamonds, more precious too. Again, she’s unbalanced next to Josephine but works beautifully in the middle.

Esme/Esmée – Is the Barnaby of the girls list. We just like her. I prefer the streamlined Esme, he prefers the more obviously feminine Esmée. So I try out both variations to see where they’d fit best.

Violet – My lovely Aunt. Well, sort of. I always called her Aunt Violet, she always answered to it. And always wondered why the older cousins & mom called her Val. But long after her death I find out her name was actually Valeria or Valeriana. The latter is on her BC the former on her SS card. And Violet is on her death Certificate! I always remember her as Violet though, so Violet is what goes in the middle.

Kathleen – My younger sister. She’s a darling and I love her to pieces. She’s childless by choice and 39 so I doubt she’ll have any herself in the near future. I thin it’s one of the freshest forms of Kate around right now and love it because it’s her name.

Pandora – only shows up in the middle because it’s my “MIL’s” name. (I put mil in quotes because we’re not married and she’s not technically my mil, but we’ve been together so long it’s like she’s unofficially so). A lovely, unassuming woman. She stepped right in when my Mom died and took over for her. Made me feel safe again. Even though its usually “dead to be honored” around here, she means so much to me, I’d love to see her face when she realises it’s for her. We’re not telling her beforehand. I love it and would use it up front but the myth rather bugs me. So in the middle she goes. Where she’s safely honoring.

And those are mine. Any you like? Dislike? What names do you find only “fit” for middle use?

I finally got a chance to watch “Run Fatboy, Run” the other night. I’d been looking forward to it for awhile, too. I have to admit, colossalgeek that I am, I love Simon Pegg. He’s a bit geeky-sweet and that’s right up my alley. 😉

Continuing on with that thought… I love the name Simon (obviously, I named my second born Simon!) which doesn’t hurt the admiration of Pegg. But I was rolling his character name around in my head and again, I must admit, I really like Dennis. He’s breezy! I knew a Dennis in college. Most charming womanizer he was, too. I still like Dennis, despite him.

If I continue liking him he’s very good middle material for consumate nicknamer, me. I’d end up with a Denny and it’s a resturant chain here in the States whose slogan should be “Hey, it’s Late, We’re Open“! So, in the middle he goes where he’ll stay full, guaranteed.

I even have a combo I’m rather pleased with: Arthur Dennis Valentin. He’s crisp & breezy. The happiest, airiest name I’ve stumbled across in a long while. He makes me smile when I say him. Thats a great thing! So I have a keeper, for now. Let’s see if he sticks around when I actually do get pregnant!

Now for the important question:

What do YOU think of Dennis and his use as a possible middle name? I’d love to know! 🙂

Just in case you thought all my weirdos were female, surprise! Submitted for your perusal, the men:

Peregrin/e– Yes, I am a shameless LOTR fan. The man was a linguistic genius and I bow to his superior skill. Pippin is easily my favorite of the Hobbits and hence the inclusion of Peregrine (I also like Peregrin) on my rolls.

Porfirio– Despite his playboy image (Porfirio Rubirosa), I’ve love the flowing, happy sound of Porfirio since I was two. He’s so fun to say and anything that makes me smile is worth hanging onto.

Ignatius – Yes, I like Iggy, he sounds zippy and wildly creative to my ears. He’s a family name for me, the first of the maternal line to hit America. I’d love to honor the guy who made it possible for this at least partially Russian chick to have a Scottish surname!

Clarence– Yeah, he’s a much too optimistic Angel in my least favorite Christmas flick but there’s still something mightily appealing about Clarence. He feels simple, attractive and creative to me. I can’t make him leave my boys list.

Valentin– One of the Maternal Great Uncles, I adore Valentin because not only was he family, he reminds me of my Dad, born on Valentine’s day and cursed with a trendy name that he intensely disliked. Valentin makes me think of Pop without being him. And yes, I think Val is mightily sexy on a grown guy. But Tino’s a cool possibility too.

Tiberius– Yes, Trekgeek extreme here (Don’t even start me on the remake movie due late next spring!). If he didn’t say “already done” to James Tiberius; it’s one bit of fan geekdom I could happily live with forever. *sigh*

Solomon – One of the few overtly Biblical names I adore. I love his sound, his image and his strength. I think Solly would be really adorable on a toddler, pretty cool on a teen/twenty something and not too shabby on a 70 year old either! That’s an awesome run for a nickname.

Aloysius– Yes, he’s a bit stiff and stuffy but say him aloud, he’s so swooshy and fun to say. No, I don’t have a problem with Al potentially but I love saying this in full most often so he’s mainly middle material for me.

Apollo – My favorite of the Greco/Roman Gods. Light, the sun, music, poetry, you name it, he’s been ascribed to rule over it through time. How Renaissance-y of Apollo! Never fear, he’s also slated for middle use only. Willem Apollo, in particular is a favorite combo.

Tilden/Tillo/Tielo– All three are on my lists, strictly for the Till part. Tilley is the family surname for the other half and I keep looking for ways to use that sound somewhere. Tillo charms me the most.

Bede – Fascinating because of (The) Venerable Bede. Get yourself a copy of “Ecclesiastical History of the English People” and enjoy the reading. It’s simply a wonderful piece of writing, significant for it’s history more than it’s religion. A real Renaissance sort of guy, long before the Renaissance!

Imre– Fun to say (eem-ree). A variation of Emeric/Emmerick that appeals greatly to me because of his pronunciation. Middle material for me, there’s no familial link.

So there you have my Manly Oddballs! See, I’m not feminine biased, entirely! 😀